The Walk Club, Edinburgh

A brand-new Edinburgh walking / wheeling club offering ambulatory meet-ups that focus on local history, art, and urban nature ~ with a twist ~

Our next walk – full information and booking link here. Walking the Pennywell Labyrinth in solidarity with the people who live along the Lebanon Mountain Trail as part of the global initiative which is Mountains of Hope.

Each walk will have a theme and celebrate events such as the Festival of Terminalia, the Urban Tree Festival, May Day, and the Autumn Equinox. The events aim to be stimulating and the company friendly. Fresh air and gentle exercise are promised, whether you are on wheels or feet, and the Walk Club is open to everyone. Children and dogs are welcome (no membership fee for them!) The aim is to be accessible, inclusive, and flexible.

Moving slowly through the urban landscape allows for higher quality noticing and time to pay attention. Pauses are important so we can look, smell, and discover. We will embrace community, as well as silence and conversation.

Member benefits

  • Advance booking for all walks
  • All events free
  • Simple to join
  • Personalised communication
  • Membership badge
  • Welcome postcard
  • Walk Club Membership Card
Hand-made map for the Rock On! walk ©Tamsin Grainger

Detail

Monthly walks around Edinburgh, often in less well-known areas
Location: Each walk will be different
Time: Sundays, 2-4pm, once a month
Duration: Approximately two hours
The walks will go ahead whatever the weather
You are welcome to attend all or some of the walks as you wish

What will we do?

Meet-ups will involve:

  • Walking / wheeling
  • The opportunity to get to know one another
  • Local history, games, quiet meditative walking

Each one will be different in topic / theme.
Just turn up. There is no need to tell me if you’re coming unless you would like to be certain that the walk will be possible for you.

Cost

For an annual membership fee of £10 (£5 concessions) you will receive a membership pack through the post (including a badge, welcome postcard, and the Walk Club membership card).
You can make a donation per walk if you want – something like £5/£3 – no pressure.

Please note that at this time, you have various options in order to join The Walk Club:

  1. Download the form by clicking the button above and print it out in order to fill it in. Then upload it and return it to me
  2. If you have a programme on your phone / computer that will allow you to fill in a pdf on screen, then you can miss out the print-out part and simply click on the button above, fill it in and email it to me
  3. You can email me now and I will send you the membership form.

My email is tamsinlgrainger@gmail.com and once I have your form and annual membership fee, I will send out your membership pack.

First Walk Club event

The first walk was on the Saturday 21st February celebrating the Festival of Terminalia: Rock On!

We collected stones at Wardie Bay and walked them past rock music studios to Granton ‘the Brick’ Beach and made a cairn

Upcoming Walk Club events

The next walk is on Sunday 22nd March marking the Spring Equinox and visiting the Pennywell Arts and Heritage Trail murals in North Edinburgh. The artwork is by Fraser Gray and the walk led by me, Tamsin Grainger, with local history, stories, art chat and discussion. All ages welcome. Foot, wheel and paw friendly. Dress brightly for all weathers! Information and booking here.

Mural by Fraser Gray, part of the Pennywell Arts and Heritage Trail

Walking the labyrinth The April meet-up will be on 19th April at 2pm meeting at North Edinburgh Arts and we will be walking the labyrinth at Pennywell Kirk. 2pm – 4pm. This is a there-and-back walk, and the labyrinth was designed by Natalie Taylor. Meet outside North Edinburgh Arts. Booking and more information here.

Labyrinth by Natalie Taylor, Old Kirk, North Edinburgh. ©Natalie Taylor

More information on the North Edinburgh Arts Trail

The March and April walks are featured on my blog here

North Edinburgh Art Trail

An arts trail in North Edinburgh, from Natalie Taylor’s labyrinth at Pennywell Kirk to the mural on the Edinburgh Direct Aid Warehouse wall made by Draya Madú with Eva Paredes and volunteers. Map here.

Labyrinth by Natalie Taylor

A Cretan labyrinth in the grounds of Pennywell Kirk (Old Kirk and Muirhouse Parish Church) constructed by artist Natalie Taylor in 2016. It takes approximately 15 minutes to walk slowly into the centre. Commissioned by Centipede Project. Address: 42 Pennywell Gardens, Muirhouse, Edinburgh EH4 4PE.

Upcoming community Walk details and booking link (opens Eventbrite)

Pennywell Arts Heritage Trail

Pennywell Arts Heritage Trail, Muirhouse and Pilton, Edinburgh – murals by artists-in-residence Fraser Gray and Eve Paredes. Eva and Fraser delivered the murals as a result of a range of public consultations and workshops for the local community around the new development. The Pennywell Arts and Heritage Trail was delivered with North Edinburgh Arts, funded by Urban Union and supported by the Edinburgh Council. Fraser Gray on Facebook Muirhouse Festival mural on YouTube

Community Walking and booking link (opens Eventbrite)

Muirhouse Gala mural by Fraser Gray and Eva Paredes

More Pennywell murals

Granton Gastower whale sculpture

By Svetlana Kondakova Muir, this sculpture depicts one of the Firth of Forth’s most special visitors – the humpback whale. It was commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council for the new Gasholder 1 public park.

Humpback whale sculpture by Svetlana Kondakova Muir at Granton Gastower

Granton Castle Walled Garden

Mural on the wall of Granton Castle Walled Garden by Eve Murray, commissioned by Granton Hub and funded by Sustrans Artroots to speak to the history and culture of Granton.

The mural, with its elements of disguise, requires the viewer to actively look and decipher rather than passively absorb the image. This serves as a metaphor for Granton’s past – there is evidence of lost industries if you know where to look, what to look for and have the want to do so. Beyond this, it addresses a more general need for balance between the industrial world which bolsters economies and communities, and the natural world which we often abuse and will ultimately pay the price for.

Eve Murray

The Wall

A sound walk on the Western Breakwater of Granton Harbour. Approach via Hesperus Causeway. Once on the wasteland, open the soundcloud link and listen on your phone. Sadly, the installation part of this artwork has blown down and been eroded as a result of the weather.

The Wall, sound walk by Tamsin Grainger. Click on this image to listen on Soundcloud as you walk beside the wall

Edinburgh Direct Aid Warehouse (EDA)

Mural symbolising the spirit of humanitarian aid designed by Mexican muralist Draya Madú who was joined by Mexican artist Eva Paredes and a team of volunteers.

The mural is not just a piece of art; it represents a light of hope and a reminder of our shared and caring humanity as well as a call to action to keep helping those in need

Draya Madú

16A West Harbour Road on the wall of Edinburgh Direct Aid (dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to people suffering as a result of man-made or natural disasters. EDA’s current main projects are in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon.) The City of Edinburgh Council supported the artists who created the work through their Diversity and Inclusion Fund.

Mural on the wall of the Edinburgh Direct Aid Warehouse, 16A West Harbour Road, Granton, Edinburgh EH5 1PN

Covid Memorial Trail

This links nicely to the Covid Memorial Trail, ‘Remembering Together’ by Skye Loneragan in collaboration with Stewart Ennis. It was funded by Greenspace Scotland and supported by Artlink and the City of Edinburgh Council. The project explored experiences of the pandemic, with the goal of highlighting the challenges faced by disabled people, while also celebrating their resilience and potential.was installed in the Wardie Bay area

Widdershins sculpture near Wardie Bay by Skye Loneragan and Stewart Ennis – Covid Memorial Trail
Sometimes Loss Leaves a Hollow, Covid Memorial Trail, Edinburgh
Covid Memorial Trail, Edinburgh

North Edinburgh Arts

North Edinburgh Arts (NEA) is somewhere for local residents to relax, explore, learn and get creative together. From art to dance, music to textiles, woodwork to yoga, they offer over 30 hours of workshops every week, with something for all ages and interests to enjoy. There are films, theatre performances, and a cafe (open Monday- Saturday), with Muirhouse library next door and a good ice cream shop nearby. The address is North Edinburgh Arts, 12C MacMillan Square, Edinburgh, EH4 4AB and it is served by bus numbers 17, 24, 27, and 37 with bicycle racks outside.

You may also like

Textile map of The Granton Burn (the western boundary of Granton.) On show at Riddles Court Lawnmarket Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Collective art trail Artworks along the Roseburn to Uniona Canal Cycle Path.

Earth in Common art roots container project Leith, Edinburgh

R2 North Edinburgh Response and Recovery Project Musical Movement, an active travel event on the path between Gypsy Brae and the Brick Beach in North Edinburgh, including the completion and unveiling of murals on the planters at Gypsy Brae.

The Granton Burn, a textile map by Tamsin Grainger

All photocraphs copyright Tamsin Grainger unless otherwise stated.